


Return of the Wolf

by Dextrousleftie



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Anal Sex, Fluff, Gay Sex, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-16 03:29:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5812000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dextrousleftie/pseuds/Dextrousleftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saitou is back from the dead. Will he and Sano become something more than just friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Saitou awoke to pain. Gnawing, flaming agony. Every part of his body felt crushed, broken, and aflame. He groaned softly as he forced his eyelids to lift, and found himself staring up at the underside of a thatch roof. A kindly old face was bent over him, and a pair of ancient eyes gazed down at him with compassion in their depths.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, samurai,” the old man said in a raspy, slightly quavery voice.

Saitou sighed and closed his eyes. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t seem too happy about waking up,” he croaked, “When it feels like there’s a mountain sitting on me, crushing the life out of me.”

The old man clucked his tongue. “Poor warrior. You were in terrible shape when our young men brought you here. I lost count of the broken bones, and you have some bad burns.” He lifted Saitou’s head with surprisingly strong but gentle hands, and held a cup to his lips. “Drink this,” he commanded. “It has herbs in it that will help dull the pain.”

Saitou could barely swallow, but he somehow got the rather bitter brew down. He coughed as the old man lowered his head back down onto the pillow, and felt agony lance through his chest. He groaned again, his face twisted. “I’m afraid you have at least five broken ribs,” the old man said.

“Great,” growled Saitoh weakly. “Where am I?” he added.

“In a little farming village just outside of Kyoto,” the old man said. “Our young men were in the city, doing some odd jobs for money, when they heard a huge explosion. They went to gawk at the site, as young men are wont to do, and one of them spied an arm in some bushes near the place where the explosion happened. They found you unconscious and terribly injured. They made a make-shift stretcher and brought you here. Our village may not be much, but we’ve got one of the finest healers in the region.”

Saitou could feel the pain starting to tail off. He welcomed the blessed numbness, and as he slid back into unconsciousness, he murmured “I would agree with that,” to the old man’s statement about the efficacy of the village healer.

 

Saitou sat in the shade of Old Man Akira’s hut, trying to get some relief from the blistering summer heat. He’d been in the little village for almost a year, slowly recovering from the massive amount of injuries he’d received in the explosion. His bones had all knit well thanks to the care of the healer Nazika, a sweet-faced young woman who was revered in both this village and the surrounding ones. Saitoh had to agree that she was the most skilled healer that he’d ever come across. It was thanks to her that he hadn’t died of his injuries, and moreover that he’d regained the use of his limbs and was able(at last) to pick up a sword again.

Miracle of miracles, the young farmers who’d brought him to the village had found his katana undamaged, tangled in the bushes nearby. That’s why the old man had called him a samurai when he first awoke. Now that he’d finally recovered most of his strength he went through his sword katas every day, driving himself until he was sweaty and on the verge of collapse. He knew the Old Man disapproved of how hard he worked, but he was determined to get back to his old fighting form. If he couldn’t what would be the purpose in living? He was a killer first and foremost. He loved it, loved fighting and shedding blood. To be better than his opponent, and know it, while their blades sang as they crashed together…that was Saitou’s definition of heaven.

The farmers of the village had been surprisingly welcoming to the invalid. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that the ‘man who fell from the sky’ as they sometimes called him, had brought an uncanny run of good luck and prosperity with him. The crops were flourishing, no one was sick, the animals were fat and healthy...and two of the young women who were out digging up edible roots in the forest one day had come running back to the village with a leather bag that they’d found buried near a stream, a bag containing gold and silver coins. A bandit’s haul, probably, buried and then perhaps forgotten. The coins were fairly old, at least fifty years, and the bandits who had buried them long gone. The small village was rich.

Saitou had given some advice to the Old Man and the other village elders, warning them not to flaunt that much money. If they didn’t attract bandits and thieves, they’d attract greedy government officials (bandits and thieves with authority and power). Instead the Old Man and several others had been slowly but surely converting the conspicuous money into much smaller coinage in shops around Kyoto, never going to the same place twice. Not a whiff of gossip had gotten around about the small village having far more money than it should, and most of the money was now in the form of common copper coins that could be spent without anyone being the wiser. This bounty had been carefully buried in places around the village.

The grateful villagers had insisted on giving Saitou ten per cent of the money they’d found. He was indifferent to the attraction of money, but he saw that they sincerely wanted him to have it, so he took it with thanks. It would fund him on his journey back home. For almost a year now his wife had thought him dead. He hadn’t sent her a letter to tell her he was alive, because if he hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries he would have finished himself off anyway. He wouldn’t have been able to live as a cripple and he knew it. Better not to raise his wife’s hopes until he knew that he was well and could go home to her and the orphan boy he’d sent her.

The Old Man came around the side of the hut and found Saitou sitting in the shade cross-legged. Saitoh was wearing a pair of light-grey hakima and a dark gray kimono embroidered with black dragons. The Old Man had purchased the clothing for him in Kyoto because his police uniform had been practically shredded in the explosion. He’d pulled his hair back behind his head in a tail similar to the one he’d worn when he was a Wolf in Kyoto. His katana rode at his back in a hidden sheath, and there was a long knife tucked into his obi. He looked every inch a samurai, although this was a look that might get him into trouble in the outside world. Samurai had been banned and were no longer allowed to carry weapons. That was all right – Saitou figured that he could either kill those who objected to him carrying a weapon, or if anyone recognized him, they’d realize that he had permission to carry his katana because he was a government investigator. Or had been, anyway. Now…now he wasn’t sure what he was anymore.

The Old Man cleared his throat. “Good morning, Saitou-san,” he said.

Saitou didn’t open his eyes, but a small smile flitted across his mouth. “Good morning, Grandfather,” he greeted the Elder respectfully.

The Old Man’s eyes settled on the pack lying on the ground next to Saitou’s knee. “So it’s true then? Hoshi said that you’d decide to leave us. We’ll miss you greatly, my son.”

Saitou opened the magnetic, black-ringed brown eyes that made him look so much like a crazy wild animal. “And I’ll miss you, Grandfather,” he replied sincerely. “You’ve done far more for me than I deserve.”

“Nonsense,” the Old Man replied briskly. “It is you who have been a good luck charm for the village. You’ve brought us prosperity. We are eternally grateful to you.”

Saitou’s lips quirked. When was the last time anyone had ever said that they were grateful to him? Probably never. He didn’t do things unselfishly for others. It wasn’t in his nature. While he was glad that the village that had saved his life and nursed him back to health was doing well, it was a fluke and not something that he’d actually done. Still let them have their illusions about him. He’d be going soon and probably not returning. They could tell their grandchildren about the fierce warrior whose heart was stronger than his weapon. It would amuse him to think of it as he made his way back to Tokyo.

Saitou rose from his sitting position with a cat-like grace. The Old Man found it hard to believe that it had only been a year since this man had arrived, broken and bleeding, his bones shattered and his skin burned off in great patches. The ex-Wolf smiled at the Elder and bowed deeply to him in respect. “You have taken me into your own home and cared for me as though I were one of your own children,” he murmured to the Old Man. “I shall never forget your kindness, Grandfather.”

The Old Man felt tears come into his eyes. Truly Saitou had come to feel like one of his children, and he knew that he’d miss the sharp-eyed warrior a great deal. “Go safely into the world, my son,” he said. Saitou nodded and reached down to pick up the pack and sling it over his shoulder. He bowed his head once more to his host then walked away out of the village without a backward glance. The Old Man watched him go through the haze of tears glimmering in his ancient eyes. He knew he’d never see Saitou again. “Farewell, son of my heart,” he whispered.

 

Saitou walked down the familiar street leading to his house. He felt excitement course through him at the thought of seeing his wife once more. He imagined how her face would light up with joy at the sight of her ‘dead’ husband walking through the gates. He was looking forward to getting to know the boy that he’d sent her as well. The kid had had no family left, because Shi Shi-O’s wretched lieutenant had slaughtered his parents and older brother. Although she was unable to have children, his wife had a heart big enough to encompass the whole world. She’d taken in human strays before, much to his amusement. There were always an assortment of street urchins and orphans hanging around his house and getting home cooked meals and affection from the gentle woman with the big dark eyes.

She was his complete opposite in every way. Light to his darkness. Life to his death. A sweet, gentle spirit, who’d tamed his wolf’s soul with just a look from her big dark eyes. The only thing in the world that he loved. He had spent the past year thinking of her, wondering if he’d be able to heal enough to get back to her. Now he strode down the street, in the pink of health, (or close to it, anyway), and while he had more scars to show her than he’d had last, he knew that she’d just fuss over him when he showed them to her. Eagerness made Saitou look almost boyish as he approached his house.

To the place where his house had once stood. His steps slowed as he came nearer, and the hair stood up on the back of his neck when he saw the charred, blackened timbers sticking up above the wall that enclosed the house. Horror ripped through him. What had happened here? Where was his wife?

He saw that his was not the only burned house. Several on both sides of his were also burned wrecks, and at least one lot had been cleared of the rubble and was being rebuilt on. He walked up to man standing supervising the construction and caught him by the elbow. “What’s happened here?” he growled, and the man looked up into his crazed, evil-looking eyes and answered, even though he’d intended to say something rude instead.

“There was a fire,” he said hurriedly. “Two months ago. A drunk knocked over a lamp in that house,” he pointed to the remains of the house that had stood next to Saitou’s, “And started it. Its been a drought year and everything was bone dry. There was a wind that night, and since it was in the middle of the night everyone was in bed. All of these other houses caught on fire, and it was a miracle that they managed to stop it as quickly as they did.”

“What happened to the people who lived there?” Saitou asked, pointing to the charred timbers that had once been his home.

The workman shot him a pitying glance. “There were no survivors in any of the burned houses,” he said.

Saitou reeled back, his breath gasping out of his chest. This couldn’t be! He couldn’t have come back from the dead just to lose the most precious thing in his life! It had to be a mistake! But the workman’s pitying stare said that it wasn’t, and Saitou had always been a realist. He couldn’t conjure up comforting illusions even if he’d wanted to. His wife was dead, and so was the boy he’d never really known. His world had just come to an end. Bleakly he asked the workman: "Where are they buried?”

The man gave him directions to the cemetery where his wife and the boy had been interred. He walked away then, blindly making his way to the small enclosed cemetery with its tiny memorial stones. He wandered among the graves until he found the one bearing the marks for her name. The boy’s ashes had been buried next to her, he saw. He was glad. She would have liked that. He knelt before her grave marker, saddened that there had been no one in these two months to take care of it properly. He’d see to it himself from now on.

He put out his hand to touch the cold stone. He whispered her name, not trying to conjure up her ghost but simply because the pain and grief beginning to well up in him like a tidal wave forced it out of him in a gasp. He bent his head, bowing his shoulders around his pain. This pain was a great deal harder to bear than the physical agony of his injuries had been. He wanted to howl the unfairness of it all to the skies. He didn’t weep, because he never cried. But he rocked a bit, his arms folded tight over his chest, as he silently mourned the loss of everything he had ever cared for.

 

Sano saw a ghost. He was walking along, thinking about the gambling house that he and his drinking buddies were going to go to tonight, when he saw the ghost of a dead man leaning up against the wall of an alley. Strangely enough the ghost was wearing different clothes than those he’d been clad in when he’d died. He came screeching to a halt and stared at the apparition, which looked amazingly solid.

“Saitou?” he said uncertainly, wondering if the ghost would acknowledge him.

That wicked, evil pair of amber eyes opened and Saitou met his gaze. A small, tired smile curved the narrow lips. “Greetings, my fine young cockerel,” he said in his deep voice.

Sano gaped. This had to be a ghost! Saitou Hajime was dead, killed in the explosion at Shi-shi-O’s weird arena when the petroleum had gone up in a fire ball. The ex-Shinsen Gumi had walked back into the flames, leaving him and Shinomori Aoshi standing helpless on the other half of the walkway. Sano had seen him die! This was a spirit, right?

Saitou chuckled at the expression on his face. “I’d say you look like you’d just seen a ghost, but since that’s probably what you think anyway, it would be pointless.”

“You’re dead,” stuttered Sano, wide eyed. He took a step back, still staring at Saitou wildly.

“Am I?” Saitou said, smiling wider and more wolfishly as he enjoyed the look on Sanosuke’s face. “Why don’t you attack me, then, and find out? I could use a good fight.”

Sano didn’t know what to think. He wanted to flee in superstitious fear, but something made him hesitate. There was a PRESENCE about Saitou, a realness that made him think that the man might not be a ghost after all. Could Saitou have somehow survived the flames? And if so, how? “Is it really you? Are you alive?” he asked cautiously.

Saitou sighed. Something like sadness shimmered in his devil’s eyes for a moment, then was gone. “Define ‘alive’, ” he said tiredly. “I breathe, my heart beats, and I can move and fight. If that is the definition of alive, then, yes, I am.”

Sano took a step closer to him. Then another. Saitou didn’t move, but merely watched him with tired amusement in his narrow gaze. As he got closer Sano could see that Saitou was solid, not shimmering or transparent like a spirit would be. He could see the other man's chest rising and falling with his breath. He was real. He was alive. Sano had never felt such joy as he did at that moment.

Much to Saitou’s amazement (and that was most likely why he didn’t just block him and then beat the shit out of him) Sano engulfed him in a tight hug. His strong arms enclosed the startled Wolf, and Sano bent his head and buried it nearly in the side of Saitoh’s neck. Saitoh was shocked to feel moisture on his skin, as Sano wept happy tears over him. He wasn’t really sure what to do in this situation. He’d never had anyone cry on him before, not even his wife.

“You’re alive,” Sano sniffed happily in his ear.

“Yes, I am, but you might not be for much longer,” the threat was half-hearted, and Saitou made no move to push the martial artist away.

Sano finally released him at last, stepping back as he wiped at his eyes unself-consciously with his sleeve. “But how?” he demanded. “You should be dead!”

“By all rights, yes,” Saitou agreed. “Listen, this is a long story, Cockerel, and I’m hungry. Can I tell you it over lunch?”

Sano hesitated, since he had no money as usual. Saitou read the look on his face and huffed with laughter. “I’ll be paying, of course,” he said dryly.

Sano nodded happily. “But you have to come to the dojo afterward,” he said excitedly, as Saitou walked out of the alley and fell into step beside him. “Kenshin and the others will flip when they see that you’re alive!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenshin and the gang get a big surprise...

Kenshin was doing laundry in the courtyard when he heard a familiar voice hail him cheerfully. He looked up with a smile to see Sano coming through the gates. The tall martial artist was grinning, and he strode over to Kenshin happily. “Kenshin!” he cried. “You will never BELIEVE what’s happened!”

Kenshin tipped his head to the side and gave Sano a puzzled look. “Oro?” he said. “What is it, Sano?”

“I met an old friend in town.” Sano replied. He turned to look at the gates expectantly, and Kenshin looked over his shoulder as a tall man in a dark-grey kimono walked through them.

The swordsman's violet eyes widened until they took up most of his pixyish face. “Saitoh?” he gasped.

Sano nodded. “Man, I thought I was looking at a ghost! Scared the pants off of me I can tell you. But he’s real, Kenshin. He survived the explosion.”

Saitoh strolled over to them with a small smile on his face. “Greetings, Battousai,” he said. “As you can see, I’ve returned from the land of the dead.”

“Probably because even they didn’t want you,” teased Sano. 

Saitoh’s lips quirked. “Most likely,” he agreed.

Kenshin found his voice. “It is very good to see that you live, Saitoh-san, so it is,” he said quietly but sincerely.

The amber wolf’s eyes narrowed a bit. “You’re very forgiving, Battousai,” he remarked.

Kenshin smiled his sweet, gentle smile. “There’s nothing to forgive,” he said.

Just then Yahiko came dashing out of the dojo in a huff. “Kenshin, tell this ugly girl that I shouldn’t have to…” he broke off and gaped at the man standing beside Sano.

Saitoh raised a single brow at him, then smiled his most evil smile and said: “Boo!”

Yahiko yelled in terror and ran back into the dojo as though his heels had been set on fire. “Kaoru! An evil spirit! Save me!”

“That wasn’t nice, Saitoh,” Sano said, even though he couldn’t help laughing loudly. Even Kenshin giggled at the sight of Yahiko scurrying away to importune Kaoru to save him from the ‘ghost’.

Saitoh shrugged as Kaoru came out of the dojo being towed by the sleeve by the frightened boy. “See!” he yelped, pointing at Saitoh. “It’s that guy Saitoh! He’s come back to haunt us!”

Kaoru’s eyes widened when she saw Saitoh. The expression on her face, combined with Yahiko’s big-eyed terror, was just too much for him. Saitoh threw back his head and began to laugh, even as Sano fell to the ground howling and clutching his stomach. Kenshin put up a hand to hide his mouth as he succumbed to a fit of giggles. “He’s put some kind of spell on Kenshin and Sano!” cried Yahiko, peering around from behind his sensei’s shoulder.

Kaoru’s brows drew together. While she’d felt a jolt of fear when she first saw the ‘dead man’, Sano and Kenshin’s reactions said that there was more to this situation than met the eye. She looked at Saitoh, really looked, and realized that he didn’t look like a dead man or a spirit. He winked at her unrepentantly as Sano finally recovered and gasped: “You should see your face, Little Missy!” he wiped at his eyes as Kaoru glared at him.

“Sano!” bawled Yahiko, refusing to come out from behind Kaoru. “Why’d you bring an evil spirit here?!”

“Well, I’d agree with the ‘evil’ part, squirt,” Sano said amiably as he sat up and folded his arms atop his knees. “But not the ‘spirit’. He’s as alive as you or I.”

Yahiko gaped at him. “No way! You said you saw him walk back into that huge explosion! How can he be alive?” he looked suspiciously at Saitoh.

“Even the lowly are granted miracles once in awhile,” the ex-Shinsen Gumi replied in amusement.

“Luck of the Devil, is more like it,” Sano quipped from the ground.

“If I could have some tea, I will be willing to tell you all about it,” Saitoh said easily. 

Kenshin got up from the tub. “I’ll go and fix it,” he said, before pattering away to the kitchen.

Saitoh snorted. “Never thought I’d see the Battousai turned into a domestic,” he muttered.

Sano chuckled as he pulled his lanky length up from the ground. “It’s a good thing, since the rest of this lot are pretty bad housekeepers,” he said, jerking his thumb at Kaoru and Yahiko.

“Hey!” Yelled Yahiko in protest, even as Kaoru said hotly: “This coming from the laziest man in the entire world!” Sano only shrugged, and Saitoh’s lips twitched slightly.

 

After they had all listened in enthrallment to Saitoh’s story about how he’d survived the explosion, Kaoru insisted that Yahiko return to the dojo to practice some more. She dragged him away while he protested vociferously, calling her all kinds of names. Sano leaned back against one of the posts on the porch and fell into his afternoon nap. His loud snores were soon the only things breaking the peace of the quiet summer day. Kenshin had returned to his laundry, and Saitoh sat cross-legged on the porch next to him and appeared to be meditating.

As Kenshin worked he shot sideways looks at Saitoh’s face. There was something wrong – something troubling the Wolf. It didn’t generally show, but a man who was used to accurately reading his opponent’s every move could see that there was an underlying sadness in Saitoh - some grief that lay over him like a pall. His story had not contained anything that could be the cause for this condition, but Kenshin suspected that he’d left something out in the telling.

“Saitoh-san,” he said at last.

“Hai?” Saitoh didn’t open his eyes, but his answer proved that he wasn’t really meditating at all.

“What has happened?” Kenshin asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I sense sorrow in you,” Kenshin replied simply.

Saitoh said nothing for a moment. Then he sighed at Kenshin’s perceptiveness. “She’s dead,” he said and nothing more.

Kenshin stopped his movements in the laundry tub and turned to look at the ex-Shinsen Gumi. “She?”

“Do you remember when we were in that village, the one held by Shi-Shi-O’s men? There was that boy, the one whose parents and elder brother had been slaughtered by his lieutenant.”

Kenshin nodded, and also said “Hai,” aloud, because Saitoh’s eyes were still closed.

“I sent him to my wife,” Saitoh said flatly.

Kenshin’s eyes filled with compassion. “Hai,” he said again, remembering.

“There was a fire two months ago. They died in it, my wife and the boy,” Saitoh’s voice was devoid of any emotion at all.

Kenshin bowed his head. “It’s very sorry I am for your loss, Saitoh-san,” he said softly.

Saitoh said nothing for a moment. The he sighed. “I expected to die in that explosion. I walked back into the flames, but not even Hell wanted me. Ironic, isn’t it, that the only thing I cared for died by fire instead?” the bitterness in his voice was thick. 

Kenshin didn’t know what to say in the face of such grief. “What will you do now, Saitoh-san?” he asked at last.

“I don’t know. I very much doubt that I’ll go back to working for the government. I only took the job in the first place because she wanted me to. It was the only legitimate job that had a use for my unique skills, and she didn’t want me to work as an assassin. Without her I have no reason to be respectable anymore.”

Kenshin absentmindedly began to scrub one of Yahiko’s shirts. “You could stay here,” he said thoughtfully.

Saitoh opened his eyes and glanced at Kenshin’s profile. “Here?” he repeated.

“At the dojo. You’d be welcome here. Sano would be very happy if you stayed,” Kenshin nodded at his sleeping friend. 

One side of Saitoh’s lips quirked up in a twisted smile. “Maybe so, but I doubt that the others would be happy about it.”

“I don’t know,” Kenshin mused. “Kaoru-dono has a habit of taking in strays.”

“Strays?” there was amusement in Saitoh’s voice. “Is that what I am now?”

Kenshin gave him a smiling glance out of his violet eyes. “It’s what we all were.” He said cheerfully. “Just people with nowhere else to go. Have you anywhere else to go, Saitoh-san?”

Saitoh laughed tiredly. “You have me there, Kenshin,” he admitted.

Kenshin looked surprised when Saitoh called him by his name rather than his former title. Then he beamed at the ex-Shinsen Gumi. “Then stay,” he said. “I could always use someone to spar against.”

Saitoh snorted. “With that wretched blunt sword of yours? You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Kenshin grinned. “I did all right for myself the last time we fought,” he pointed out.

Saitoh gave a mock wince. “Ouch,” he said. He considered for a moment and then shrugged. “It’s true that I have nowhere to go. And I could use someone to sharpen my skills against. I’m still not back to my full strength yet. So if Miss Kaoru isn’t against it, I will stay.”

Pleased, Kenshin nodded. He was sure that he could talk Kaoru into letting the Wolf stay for awhile, although she probably wouldn’t like the idea at first.

 

Actually, the whole question of Saitoh remaining at the dojo went far more smoothly than Kenshin could have anticipated. Kaoru did look unhappy at first, not because she had anything against Saitoh personally but because she already had enough mouths to feed. But the hopeful look in both Sano and Kenshin’s eyes wore her down very quickly. And the deal was sealed when Saitoh produced a leather bag from inside his kimono and handed it to her. “What’s this?” she asked, then her eyes widened when she heard the chink of coins within.

“My room and board,” Saitoh replied. “I don’t have much use for it. You’re welcome to it.”

Kaoru opened the bag with shaking fingers, and found enough money within to keep everyone at the dojo fed and clothed for several years. “You can definitely stay,” she said in amazement. “For as long as you want.”

 

Saitoh found himself falling into a routine in the next couple of weeks. In the mornings he got up, dressed, then went out into the dojo and did his sword katas. Afterward he joined the others for breakfast. Then he helped Kenshin with the chores (although he refused to do laundry or cook) or went to the river with him to fish. In the afternoons he and Kenshin would spar together while Yahiko watched enviously. Sano would almost inevitably show up for lunch and stay to watch the matches with Yahiko. In the evenings Saitoh and Kenshin would play Shogi, or Saitoh would beat the pants off of Sano at Mah Jong. This peaceful existence was actually quite soothing for the Wolf, for he still hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries and he found himself tiring easily sometimes.

And much as he would never have admitted it, he found the company of these simple people quite fulfilling. How his wife would have liked them. Especially the rough and tumble boy, Yahiko. She would have mothered him as though he were her own cub. Sano would have won her over with his boyish charm, and Kenshin’s old fashioned gentlemanliness would have appealed to the gentle lady. Kaoru would have quickly become a daughter. He knew she would be pleased to see the company he was keeping these days.

The grief was never far from the surface. He mourned silently but deeply, and no one was aware of it except for Kenshin. He sometimes saw Sano giving him a puzzled look, but the martial artist still hadn’t said anything about the changes in him. He was grateful for Sano’s unexpected tactfulness because he didn’t want to talk about his wife’s death. He didn’t want sympathy or pity. He simply wanted to deal with his sorrow by himself, not seeking comfort or support. Kenshin seemed to understand this and never offered either to Saitoh. He offered only his quiet friendship and someone to spar against. Saitoh found that he could accept both of these things gratefully.

 

Sano WAS puzzled and disturbed by the differences in Saitoh. At first he thought it must be because the man had been so badly injured and hadn’t quite recovered yet. But over time he came to feel that there was something more. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. He took to watching the Wolf discretely, trying to figure out what had caused the changes he saw in him. Saitoh was quieter and far more contained than he had been. It was as though he were withdrawing into himself for some reason. And sometimes when Sano caught him at an unguarded moment, he thought he saw a depth of sadness in Saitoh’s eyes that stunned him. What had caused that look? And how could he find out?

At first it seemed futile. Saitoh certainly showed no signs of confiding in him, and the martial artist knew that he had no chance of getting it out of him if he didn’t volunteer the information. But then something that Kenshin said to Saitoh made him come to think that Kenshin at least knew - a fact that made him envious of his little red haired friend. How come the little swordsman had been told when Saitoh wouldn’t tell him? He felt somewhat resentful over this. Sano became determined to find out one way or another, and if he couldn’t get it out of Saitoh he’d get it out of Kenshin.

He began a not-so-subtle campaign to get Kenshin to tell him. The former Battousai found Sano’s badgering to be rather amusing. Sano went about it in the same manner that he fought – straight to the point and hit ‘em until they stay down. The first thing he did was ask Kenshin outright to tell him what was the matter with Saitoh, and when Kenshin refused to tell him Sano began to pester him. He’d follow Kenshin around when he did his chores or when he went fishing by himself. He was relentless in coming up with reasons why Kenshin should tell him. He even moved into the dojo temporarily, much to Kaoru’s annoyance, so that he could continued his campaign against Kenshin in the evenings as well. The red-haired swordsman employed his infinite patience as his best defense, and refused to give in to Sano. The martial artist tried everything - pleading, charming, and demanding. Nothing worked.

Saitoh became aware of what Sano was up to, and was more amused by it than anything else. He knew that the Battousai wouldn’t give away his secret unless Saitoh gave him permission to do so, so he took a certain sadistic pleasure in watching Sano squirm. The boy was great fun especially when he was obsessed like this. Sano wasn’t even aware that he was the only thing leavening Saitoh’s grief at all, by providing him something to laugh at. Watching Kenshin play with Sano was a lesson in how to frustrate your opponent. Especially since Sano had never had much patience. Saitoh sometimes wondered idly how long it would take him to crack.

 

Before that could happen, Sano overheard a conversation between Saitoh and Kenshin that told him what he needed to know. It was a sheer fluke that he heard it, because he was away in town with his drinking buddies for the afternoon. He'd come back to the dojo early because he was out of money and none of his friends had any he could cadge from them. He was considering how to get Kaoru to loan him some money as he approached the gates. When he looked up he saw Saitoh talking with Kenshin in the courtyard not far from the open gates. Some sixth sense told him that he wanted to hear this conversation. So he flattened himself against the wall like a tall brown shadow and slid along it silently toward the open gates. He was hoping to be able to hear what the two men were saying.

At first he heard Kenshin’s soft tones. “Did I get everything you need, Saitoh-san?”

Saitoh’s voice answered him. “Hai. Arigatou, Kenshin. I am in your debt.”

“Are you going now?” Kenshin asked.

“Hai. I want to burn the incense before the graves. I’ll be back before dinner.”

Sano felt a chill go through him when Saitoh said the word ‘graves’. He realized that the ex- Shinsen Gumi would be coming through the gates and going into the city at any moment. Hurriedly he loped away around the wall and crouched down in a small copse of trees until he saw Saitoh walk away down the road with a bag over his arm. The ex-Shinsen Gumi's profile was like carved teak, but its very lack of expression told Sano plenty.

When Saitoh was gone, Sano rose to his feet and strode back to the gates. Kenshin was sweeping the stones, and looked up in surprise when Sano walked toward him determinedly. “Sano,” he said cautiously.

Sano didn’t bother to greet him. “Who died, Kenshin?” he demanded.

Kenshin blinked, and then contrived to look innocent. “Oro? I don’t know what you mean, Sano, so I don’t.”

“Stow it, Kenshin. I heard you talking to Saitoh. Who died?” Sano said relentlessly, glaring at him. He was not going to be put off any longer.

Kenshin sighed. He could no longer play games with Sano. “Saitoh’s wife and an orphan boy who he’d sent her to raise,” he replied quietly. “They died in a fire a few months ago. Saitoh came back to Tokyo to find them dead.”

Sano’s mouth opened in shock. “Saitoh was married?” he blurted incredulously.

Kenshin nodded. “I didn’t know either until I was on my way to Kyoto. It surprised me very much. But I think he must have loved her a great deal. Her death has devastated him.”

Sano cursed softly under his breath. “Why didn’t he tell me?” he growled.

“I think he doesn’t want anyone to know because he doesn’t want pity from us. And he is the type who wants to mourn by himself in private.”

“Well, screw that!” snarled Sano angrily. “He’s a friend! You help your friends, especially when shit like this happens to them! Doesn’t he know that?” he strode away across the courtyard, and Kenshin thought to himself that if Saitoh didn’t yet know that, he would soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sano comforts Saitoh, then Saitoh takes Sano by surprise...

Saitoh trailed back through the gates just before sunset. He was weary and heartsick from his vigil. He decided not to bother joining the others for dinner. He wasn’t particularly hungry. He decided to just go to his small room and go to sleep. He walked quietly across the yard, hoping not to see anyone. They’d most likely try to talk him into eating, especially Sano. The martial artist could be very much a mother hen when he wanted to be.

He made it to his room without encountering anyone, and gave a sigh of relief as he slid the shoji screen open. But his relief was premature, because he found Sano sitting cross-legged on his tatami mat, waiting for him. Sano’s arms were crossed over his chest, and he glared at Saitoh from under his lowered brows. Saitoh shook his head, wondering what had gotten the cockerel all fired up. He really didn’t want to have to deal with this right now.

“What’s this?” he asked, setting the bag he carried down by the door. “Room service? Or did you just get lost on the way to your own room, cockerel?”

Sano growled. “I’ve been waiting for you. I want to know why you didn’t tell me about your wife, Saitoh.”

Saitoh felt a flash of rage. His eyes darkened to the color of old gold. “It was none of your business, Sano,” he said icily. He was going to have words with Kenshin for telling Sano, and soon.

“Not my business?!” snarled Sano, rising to his feet in agitation. “You’re a friend, Saitoh. You shouldn’t have to be alone when something like this happens. That’s what friends are for – to help you.”

“I don’t need your help, cockerel,” Saitoh’s voice was as cold as the void. “I can deal with this in my own way.”

“Bullshit!” Sano took a step towards him, not put off at all by his cold fury. His hands were balled into fists at his sides. “No one should have to grieve alone. You should have told us.”

Saitoh raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you mean ‘should have told you’?” he sneered. “Well, now you know. Your curiosity has been satisfied. So get the fuck out of my room, Sano. I want to go to sleep.”

His reflexes weren’t quite up to snuff, so he didn’t dodge Sano’s fist fast enough. It crashed into his jaw, and he was thrown back into the corridor where he flew into the wall hard and slid down it. An enraged Sano stood over him, glaring down at his prone form.

“You are a son-of-a-bitch, Saitoh,” Sano growled. “But you’re still my friend. I don’t like to see my friends in pain.”

Saitoh felt at his jaw carefully. It wasn’t broken, much to his surprise. “You couldn’t tell that considering how hard you just hit me,” he mumbled.

Sano sighed. “I’m sorry about that, but you pissed me off,” he said apologetically. He came over and folded his long frame down so that he was sitting next to Saitoh with his back to the wall.

Saitoh closed his eyes. The feeling of profound weariness inside of him had only deepened, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Surprisingly, Sano said nothing. He simply sat beside him, the heat from his body reaching Saitoh even through the fabric of his kimono. Sano offered nothing but companionship, a silent presence offering only what comfort that Saitoh was willing to accept. Saitoh was almost shocked to hear himself begin to speak: “Have you ever known anyone who made you feel as though you were better than you thought you were, capable of doing anything? A person who forgave your faults, and loved you in spite of them?”

Sano thought about it. “Yes,” he replied. “Kenshin has always made me feel that way.”

Saitoh chuckled wearily. “Ah, but the Battousai has that affect pretty much universally.” He smiled lopsidedly, opening his magnetic eyes to look sideways at Sano’s face. “My wife…” he began, and then had to stop for a moment as his throat threatened to close up. “My wife was that for me. An anchor in an ugly world. The brightest light I have ever known. Why she loved me I’ll never know, but I could always count on that love. She always had total faith in me. I didn’t realize how precious those gifts were until she was gone. I’ll tell you, cockerel, I feel as though I’ve died after all. What you see is merely the animated corpse of Saitoh Hajime,” he spread his arms a bit, gesturing to himself. The despair in his voice cut Sano to the bone.

There were no words that Sano could say to make it better. ‘I’m sorry’ was trite and stupid. ‘I understand’ was a total lie. ‘It will get better’ was also a lie, because he didn’t know if that was true or not. So instead of speaking, he reached out a long arm and settled it over Saitoh’s shoulders, feeling the swordsman stiffen at his touch. But he refused to remove his arm, even knowing Saitoh might get annoyed and cut it off. He bent his head and rested it on Saitoh’s shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the fabric of the gray kimono. He offered his gentle embrace and the warmth of his body as the only comfort he could give, and strangely Saitoh found himself relaxing and accepting the gift.

The sound of their breathing was the only thing to break the comfortable silence. Saitoh closed his eyes again, as visions of the many times that his wife had held or touched him just like this rose in his mind. She had always known instinctively that words were useless in his opinion, and that the only way she could show her love for him or comfort and soothe his spirit when he was troubled was to touch him in some way. Touch was the most profound expression to Saitoh, because he so seldom let anyone touch him. Only those he cared for and trusted (and that list was very, very small indeed) were allowed to get that close to him.

Somewhere or other, Sano had been added to that list. He’d always rather liked the boy, even when he first met him and he broke his favorite concealed sword off in his shoulder as a message for Kenshin. He was bold, cheerful, rambunctious, caring and strong. As straight forward as an upper cut to the head, and as honest as sorrow. Saitoh had always secretly liked the fact that the kid wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. There weren’t too many people who could say that. Only the Battousai, Sano, and his wife. Three good people who all cared for him for some strange reason that he’d never been able to explain.

How long they sat there together, Saitoh didn’t know. Nor did he care. There was peace in this moment, peace in a sea of sorrow that was threatening to drown him. When Sano finally asked him: “Tell me about her,” in a soft voice, it somehow seemed as extension of that feeling to begin to talk. He poured out a picture of words for Sano, describing his wife as he remembered her. Sano merely listened without comment, allowing him to work through his grief in his own way and at his own pace. When he was finally talked out, Saitoh felt released in a way he would never have expected. He knew now that while his sorrow would remain, it would not be so heavy that it would crush him under its weight.

“Thanks, kid,” Saitoh said at last into the silence that had fallen once more.

He felt Sano shrug against his shoulder. “That’s what friends do for each other,” Sano said simply. “It’s what Kenshin did for me, when I was still hurting over the death of my Master. And when…” he trailed off. “There was this girl,” he continued after a moment. “She was the spiritual leader of a group of persecuted Christians. When I met her, I didn’t know that she was dying from tuberculosis. There was just something about her…I don’t know what we might have had between us, if she hadn’t finally died of the TB and a gunshot wound. After she died, I felt for awhile as though I were hollow inside. Empty. Being with those who care about me – Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Hell, even Megumi in her own way – has helped. Most of the time that’s all we’ve got. And maybe it’s all we need, too.”

“Profound words of wisdom from you, cockerel? I’m shocked,” teased Saitoh gently.

Sano’s mouth quirked. “Hell, even I use my head once in awhile. As something other than a battering ram,” he added.

Saitoh chuckled. But he was interrupted in mid-laugh by a yawn. “Interesting as this conversation has been, I still need some sleep.” He said.

Sano shook his head as he got to his feet. ‘Not until you eat something," he said sternly. 

Saitoh sighed. The boy was worse than his mother sometimes. “And I don’t suppose you’d believe me if I told you that I’m not hungry?” he asked, as Sano put out a hand to pull him to his feet.

“No. And even if you’re not, you should still eat something. Come on, we’ll raid the kitchen. Kenshin’s probably left something out for us, anyway.” Sano began to herd Saitoh down the hallway, which amused the ex-Shinsen Gumi greatly. Really, for all his height and the fact that he was a male, Sano really did remind him of his wife. She would always bully him into taking care of himself, too, whether he wanted to or not. He followed Sano tamely enough to the kitchen, where they found that Kenshin had left a covered dish of food out for them on the counter.

“Told you so,” Sano said happily, grabbing two pairs of chopsticks and handing one set to Saitoh.

Saitoh found that while he still wasn’t hungry, his stomach was grateful for the food. He’d eaten nothing since this morning, and the hollow feeling inside of him slowly went away as he ate. He watched Sano devour his portion, amazed at the amount of food that the martial artist could put away. But then, he supposed that someone that tall and energetic would need a lot of fuel to keep himself going.

Seeing Saitoh watching him, Sano correctly interpreted his expression. “If you think I eat a lot,” he said wryly, still shoveling rice and vegetables into his mouth, “Then you should see Yahiko. I swear that kid eats more than his own body weight in food every day. I don’t know how the Little Missy keeps him fed.”

“He’s growing,” Saitoh replied with a shrug. “My wife always said that children need the most food, because they need fuel to help them grow properly. She was always feeding huge meals to the local street urchins. My food bill alone every month was massive.”

Sano heard the fond amusement in his voice, and was silently amazed. The woman he’d been married to sounded almost saintly. He never would have imagined that someone like Saitoh would have been married to someone who sounded so kind and gentle. Still, he knew that opposites did attract.

They finished their meal, Sano eating twice as much as Saitoh. Sano cleaned up the dishes, putting them in the sink. Saitoh leaned against the table and watched him. Now that he was feeling less battered in both body and soul, he could feel the return of certain urges within himself. As Sano bent over to pick up a stray chopstick that had fallen to the floor, Saitoh contemplated the view of his ass outlined in white cotton. The sight made his cock stir a bit, and made a lazy, wolfish smile slide over his face. Before he’d married a woman, Saitoh had mostly slept with men. The other members of the Shinsen Gumi had often been bedmates as well as brothers-in-arms, especially since in Kyoto at that time it had been pretty hard to find a woman to be with anyway.

He liked Sano. And he was attracted to him, as well. He didn’t think that the martial artist had ever been attracted to a man before, but Saitoh suspected that he could change his mind about that. The cockerel had always been drawn to him, and there had always been a mild sexual attraction there as well. Sano just hadn’t realized it, and Saitoh had chosen not to pursue it because he had always been faithful to his wife. But he’d known it was there from the beginning.

Sano turned around and found himself face to face with Saitoh. He jumped; he hadn’t realized how close Saitoh was. “Man, you scared me!” he whispered, then gasped as Saitoh stepped even closer to him. In the low lamplight, Saitoh’s eyes were darkened nearly to black. There was a hunger in their depths that made an answering warmth spring up in his stomach. He took an involuntary step back as he asked uncertainly: “Saitoh?”

A deep, low, feral chuckle came out of the shadows. Saitoh took yet another step closer to him, and Sano felt a burst of panic run through him. He’d never been afraid of Saitoh before, but suddenly he was terrified of what he saw in the wild animal eyes gleaming at him from under Saitoh’s half lowered eyelids. Saitoh’s lips curved into a wicked smile.

“What’s the matter, my cockerel?” he purred in a low, growly tone that made the muscles in Sano’s stomach contract.

“N-nothing,” Sano stammered, still backing up. But his ass hit the edge of the table, and he found himself trapped up against it as Saitoh stepped up to him until their chests were nearly pressed together.

“That’s good,” the sensual voice continued, as Saitoh tilted his head up a bit to meet Sano’s wide eyes. The martial artist’s breath had begun to hitch in and out of his chest in deep gasps, and the sound made Saitoh’s smile widen.

Lazily Saitoh lifted a hand to curl it around the back of Sano’s neck. Sano didn’t try to stop him, although he was strong enough that he could have prevented him from sliding his fingers into the short bristly hairs at the back of his neck. Saitoh’s fingers caressed the skin of his neck in slow circles, and Sano shuddered slightly. He was rock hard under the cotton of his pants just from that simple touch. Saitoh pressed at the back of his neck, pushing his head down a bit. At the same time, he lifted his own head and claimed Sano’s mouth in a slow, deep kiss.

Every coherent thought slipped away from Sano as Saitoh slanted his mouth over the martial artist’s, deepening the kiss. Saitoh’s tongue snaked out and tapped at his lips, demanding entrance. Sano gave it, opening his mouth with a sigh as Saitoh’s tongue drove triumphantly inside. Small gasps were drawn from Sano’s throat as the Wolf devoured his prey. Saitoh ate at his mouth, flicking his tongue over Sano’s, laving the roof of his mouth, sweeping over all of the conquered territory within.

Saitoh could feel Sano’s body softening against his. Well, all except for one part of it, that is. Sano’s erection was poking him in the thigh, and he smiled into the kiss as he ground his thigh against that hardness just to hear Sano moan. Saitoh knew that if he wanted to, he could have Sano right here and now. The cockerel wasn’t thinking at all, and wouldn’t be able to resist if Saitoh took him. But Sano was a friend, and you didn’t take advantage of friends. Only when Sano came to him willingly, without the necessity of seduction, would Saitoh take what he offered.

He pulled away, leaving Sano standing with his back to the table and his hands clutching at its surface. His lips were kiss swollen, his face faintly flushed, and his eyes wide and glittering with lust. It was the hardest thing that Saitoh had ever done, to step back and leave him there looking that way. “What?” Sano said hoarsely as Saitoh backed away from him.

“Pleasurable as that was, my cockerel, I don’t really think that you’re ready for this,” Saitoh said quietly. “When you are, all you have to do is tell me. I’ll be glad to fuck you senseless,” he smiled wickedly, his eyes agleam, and Sano shuddered at his words.

“Goodnight,” Saitoh said next. He turned without another word, and walked away out of the kitchen. Sano stared after him blankly, as one hand rose to touch his lips in a fearful, wondering gesture.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sano... :P

“Saitoh?”

“Hmm?”

“What did you do to Sano?” Kenshin’s voice was gentle, with no accusation in it.

Saitoh opened one eye. He was lying stretched out on the bank of the river next to Kenshin, who was fishing. Even though he didn’t desperately need to do so anymore, since the money that Saitoh had given Kaoru was enough to feed everyone, Kenshin still liked to catch his fish fresh if he could. He found fishing to be a soothing, meditative occupation.

Saitoh looked sideways out of his eye at Kenshin’s face. The Battousai was watching his fishing pole, his pixyish face solemn. “What do you think I’ve done to him?” Saitoh asked curiously.

Kenshin sighed. “Well, he hasn’t come to eat at the dojo in three days. That’s not like him – he never has any money.”

“What makes you think it’s something I’ve done to him that’s making him stay away?” Saitoh asked indifferently, although he grinned evilly to himself. He did, indeed, know why the cockerel was avoiding the dojo. And especially him.

Kenshin hesitated. “It’s just that he left the dojo completely the day after he was upset to learn about your wife’s death, and I saw that the plate of food that I left out for you both was empty. Sano would have insisted that you eat. You’ve seemed more peaceful in the last few days, so I can only think that Sano must have helped you in some way. I would hate to think that you repaid him by some cruelty.”

Saitoh opened his other eye, giving Kenshin the benefit of one of his evil stares. “Why do you assume that I was cruel to him, Battousai? Do you think so little of me?” there was cold anger underlying Saitoh’s voice.

Kenshin shook his head. “No, I don’t think that you’d be deliberately cruel, Saitoh, so I don’t. It’s just that you can sometimes be cruel without meaning to. You care so little for the feelings and opinions of others that you can end up hurting people without meaning to.” Kenshin’s voice lacked even a hint of censure. He was simply stating a fact.

Saitoh was silent while he considered what Kenshin had said. He didn’t think that he’d hurt Sano in any way, although he imagined that he’d thrown him for a loop. Sano was most likely questioning his own sexuality right now, and that was most likely why he hadn’t come around to the dojo since the night that Saitoh had kissed him in the kitchen.

“I didn’t hurt him, Kenshin,” Saitoh said at last to reassure the red head. “I just think that I confused the hell out of him. Right now, he’s avoiding me so that he doesn’t have to think about happened.”

“What did happen, if I may ask?” Kenshin said, still plying his pole in the water.

Saitoh smiled cruelly as he closed his eyes again and put his hands behind his head. “I kissed him,” he said easily.

Kenshin turned his head to look at Saitoh’s face. “You kissed him?” He repeated in surprise. Saitoh nodded without opening his eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I felt like it. Because I’ve always been a bit attracted to the boy, and he’s always been attracted to me in return. He just wasn’t aware of it consciously. He enjoyed it, believe me. It just scared him, so he’s running away.”

“Oh,” Kenshin looked back at his pole as he thought about what Saitoh had told him. “What will you do if he doesn’t want to do anything else with you?”

“Nothing. I don’t take unwilling bed partners. There’s always been plenty who were willing.”

Kenshin could well imagine that. Saitoh was handsome in a feral sort of way, and those magnetic eyes promised animal pleasures to those who he took to his bed. Poor Sano must have been completely overwhelmed. He’d never been kissed by a man before, and to find himself responding in any way must have scared him silly. No wonder he hadn’t come around in the last few days.

The red-haired swordsman sighed. He hoped that Saitoh hadn’t scared Sano off permanently. While he didn’t think so, there was a slight possibility that Sano would take off to avoid being around the ex-Shinsen Gumi. Saitoh understood that sigh, and spoke: “Don’t be so anxious, Kenshin. The cockerel would never run away. He’s far too courageous – read dumb - to back away from a challenge. He’ll be back.” His voice was confident.

“I suppose you’re right,” Kenshin said, thinking about Sano’s personality.

“I know I am. If nothing else, I’ll go and collect him if he doesn’t turn up in a few days.”

“Do you think that’s good idea?” Kenshin asked doubtfully.

“Maybe not. But it works for me.”

 

Saitoh walked down the street towards the room that Sano lived in. Kenshin had rather reluctantly given him the directions to it when Sano still hadn’t appeared at the dojo for two days after their conversation on the riverbank. He came to the door that was fourth down in the row, and didn’t bother to knock. He simply slid the door open to let the mid-day sunlight into the tiny room. He saw a tall figure sprawled on the tatami mat within, his back turned to the door. He stirred and groaned when the bright sun shone in, throwing up a hand as though to ward it off.

“Close the door!” he rasped pitifully.

Saitoh clicked his tongue in disgust. “Well, well. Aren’t you a pitiful sight. Really, cockerel, this is pathetic. Have you been drunk the entire time since I kissed you?”

Sano rolled over. He glared up at Saitoh out of one red, blood-shot eye. “No. Just most of the time,” he replied grouchily. “Now, could you please leave?”

Saitoh leaned against the door frame. “I don’t think so. If I had known that a little thing like a kiss would make you try to drink yourself to death, I would never have done it. But frankly, I thought you had more of a backbone than this. I never took you for a coward, Sano.”

“I’m not a coward!” Sano retorted loudly, stung. Then he groaned and clutched at his spiky hair. “Just leave me alone,” he whispered.

“Tsk.” Saitoh walked a step into the room and sank down onto the floor cross legged. “I’m not leaving until you pull yourself together,” he said coolly.

“Fine,” Sano closed his eyes and rolled away again, giving Saitoh his back. The Wolf waited patiently, knowing that Sano wouldn’t be able to ignore his presence for long. He amused himself by trying to guess just how long it would take the tall martial artist to crack. He was off by a few minutes, as Sano growled low in his throat after about twenty minutes and rolled back once more to direct a glare of death at the man sitting so calmly on his floor.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” he asked furiously.

Saitoh raised an eyebrow at him. “I would if you were exhibiting your normal behaviors, and had just told me off or hit me for kissing you. This drinking yourself into a stupor is not your normal behavior. Obviously you were much more affected by the kiss than you would have liked to be. The real question is – is it because you were totally disgusted, or was it because you liked it a little too much?”

Sano put his hand over his face and groaned. “I…” he trailed off wearily.

Saitoh smiled. “I’ll take that as an indication of the latter,” he said. “You’re having a hard time because you’ve never been kissed by a man before, maybe never even thought of being with a man, but you enjoyed the kiss we shared. You’re wondering now about your sexuality. Frankly, cockerel, there’s nothing to get all worked up about. You can still like girls and have sex with men as well. There’s no law against it, you know.”

Sano stared at him. “I… never thought about it that way before” he said slowly.

Saitoh sighed. “You’re a bit naïve. There are many men in this world who enjoy both the company of other men and women as well. Myself included.”

Sano blinked. That was right – Saitoh had had a wife, and yet he’d kissed him in the kitchen as though he were used to kissing other men. He sat up on his elbow slowly as he thought about it. “It just…took me by surprise,” he said, speaking his thoughts aloud. “I mean – you’re a friend, Saitoh. Like Kenshin. If Kenshin ever kissed me…” he shuddered.

One side of Saitoh’s mouth quirked up. “Yes, we are friends. But I’ve always been aware of an underlying sexual attraction between us, as well. I did nothing about it at the time we met, because I was faithful to my wife. And you weren’t consciously aware of it, anyway. You don’t share a similar attraction to the Battousai. That is the difference.”

“Oh,” Sano ran a hand through his spiky hair, disarranging it even further. “I suppose that makes sense.” He met Saitoh’s eyes uncertainly. “It’s just…I’m not sure that I’m ready to,” he gulped. “Have sex with you.”

Saitoh shrugged. “I told you that night that I wouldn’t importune you further, that you would have to come to me when you were ready. And I meant it. Anything that happens between us will be up to you, Sano. It will be your choice. If you decide that you don’t ever want me to fuck you, I’ll understand and accept that decision.”

Sano rubbed at his face with his hand. “I don’t know,” he said tiredly. “I’ll have to think about it some more.”

“As you wish. But in the meantime, I think that you should get up, come have something to eat, and go to the public baths. You stink,” he wrinkled his nose delicately at the smell of unwashed body and sour sweat that permeated the small room.

Saitoh got to his feet and practically bullied Sano off of the tatami mat. The tall martial artist grumbled, but made no other demur as Saitoh practically hauled him out the door by the arm and dragged him off to a restaurant. There he bought him lunch, although after five days of eating nearly nothing Sano didn’t have much of an appetite. But after eating a few small bites, his appetite returned with a vengeance and he devoured a large meal under Saitoh’s amused gaze. When he sat back with a sigh, patting his full stomach, the ex-Shinsen Gumi shook his head in awe as he stared down at the empty plates scattered on the table. “Do you have two hollow legs?” he asked wryly.

Sano opened one eye and grinned cheekily at him across the table. “I’ve been told that I have a hollow head before, but I don’t know about my legs,” he said.

“I’m not surprised about that,” Saitoh remarked. “Come on, then, to the baths. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand to smell you.”

Sano grumbled about being interrupted in his digestion, but he followed tamely enough when Saitoh walked out the door and made his way to one of the public baths. There he paid for both of them to use one of the tubs, and he paid extra for towels and scented bath oils. Sano eyes the oils in disbelief. “You actually use those?” he demanded as they went into the changing room to strip down before going into the bathing room.

“Hai,” Saitoh said, untying the obi at his waist.

“They just seem kinda girlie,” Sano said, pulling of his jacket to hang it on a hook.

Saitoh refused to be insulted. “If by ‘girlie’ you mean that I should smell like sake and sweat instead, then I’ll pass,” he remarked, taking off his kimono.

Sano gasped when he saw Saitoh’s chest. An ugly dark burn scar covered more than half of its surface, running up over one of his shoulders. Becoming aware of his reaction, Saitoh looked down at his own chest indifferently. “They’ve healed well,” he said calmly. “For that I owe thanks to the healer who saved my life.”

“Saitoh…” whispered Sano compassionately, not able to look away from the scar. He couldn’t imagine how much that must have hurt. Saitoh shrugged and removed his light-grey hakima. He turned around to fold them and lay them on one of the benches, and Sano saw that there was another pinkish burn scar on his back. The ridged skin half-obscured older sword scars. Sano had the sudden urge to walk over and run his hands over those scars, and to kiss them. He wanted to take the pain that Saitoh must have suffered away somehow. But he stood frozen as Saitoh reached up to pull the thong holding his hair up loose, so that the raven-black mass came tumbling down over his shoulders.

The sight of that hair made Sano remember that Saitoh was, in fact, standing naked not far away from him. That underneath those awful scars lay a strong, powerful male body composed of rolling muscles, muscles that he could see defined under the skin. He felt suddenly dry mouthed, remembering the feel of Saitoh’s lips on his own in the kitchen. He’d been scared of his own reaction to that kiss, and how much that he’d wanted it to be more than that. He felt his cock stir to life between his legs as Saitoh bent over to lay his folded clothes on the bench, giving Sano a clear view of his ass and the muscles in his long legs.

Sano was nearly breathless by the time Saitoh straightened up and picked up one of the towels to wrap around his waist. “Are you coming?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at Sano and narrowing his eyes a bit at the expression on the martial artist’s face.

“Uhh…yeah,” gasped Sano. “Just give me a minute. I’ll be right out.”

A wicked smile ghosted across Saitoh’s mouth. “Don’t take too long,” he said meaningfully, aware of the fact that Sano was half-hard under the white cotton pants. He strolled out of the changing room without a backward glance.

Sano sat down on one of the benches and willed his erection to go down. There was no way in the lower hells that he was going to go out there with a hard on. He thought hard of the unsexiest things possible, and after a short time his problem subsided. He removed his pants and the bandages around his waist, then wrapped himself in a towel and went out to join Saitoh in the tub.

There were two other men already in the tub with Saitoh, so he felt safe. He lowered himself into the hot water, aware of Saitoh’s lazily amused stare. He refused to look up into those evil eyes, knowing how dangerous that was. He picked up a cloth and began to wash himself, cleaning the dried sweat and grime off of his body. He could smell the scented oil that Saitoh was using. He tried to concentrate on the conversation between the two other men in the tub, but they appeared to be rice merchants and he just wasn’t interested in the price of the crop this year.

Much to his chagrin, the two men finished and got out of the tub. He thought he heard a nearly inaudible chuckle from the man sitting across from him as Saitoh observed how nervous he became when the rice merchants departed. “Something wrong, my cockerel?” purred Saitoh lazily. Sano gulped and pretended that he was extremely interested in washing his arms.

Suddenly he felt a foot moving between his legs. He gasped as Saitoh’s impudent appendage insinuated itself farther and farther between his bent legs. “Saitoh…” he said warningly. “I thought you said that this was my choice?”

“I said that it was your choice whether we had sex, cockerel, not anything else,” Saitoh replied coolly. Sano moaned as Saitoh’s foot settled over his cock, which had already come half-erect when he became aware of Saitoh’s invasion between his legs. As he began to move his foot in slow circles, Saitoh laughed a low, sexy laugh.

Sano groaned as Saitoh’s foot stroked his cock with a sure, hard pressure. He couldn’t believe this was happening in a public bath. Saitoh’s face was absolutely blank, but his wicked eyes gleamed as they rested on Sano’s bent head. He was enjoying himself immensely, especially since he knew that Sano was most disconcerted about this happening out in the open when anyone could get into the tub with them at any moment. On his part, this fact was what excited him most. He began to move his foot a bit faster, enjoying the soft sounds he was dragging from Sano’s lips.

Sano fought not to begin to move his hips up to get more of the sensation of Saitoh’s caresses. His hands gripped the sides of the tub hard enough to turn his fingers white. He bit his lip to keep in the moans that were being forced from his throat. Then he made the mistake of raising his head and looking into Saitoh’s eyes, and the hot lust he saw burning in their depths pushed him over the edge. He came with a harsh groan, his body shuddering. Saitoh removed his foot with a last light stroke, and stood up. “Well, I’m clean,” he said easily. “What about you, cockerel?”

Sano raised his head to glare at him. Saitoh merely chuckled at his expression. He got out of the tub, and Sano drew in a sharp breath when he saw that Saitoh had an erection. The ex-Shinsen Gumi displayed no embarrassment about his condition. He wrapped his towel around his waist in a leisurely fashion. “I’m going back to the dojo,” he said quietly. “It would be nice if you made an appearance there, as well. Your friends are all concerned about you. It would be well if you showed them that you’re all right.” He walked away without another word, leaving Sano sitting in the tub staring at nothing.

:All right? I don’t think so: he thought wildly. :Curse you, Saitoh, what the hell have you done to me?:


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All done! (: I have a sequel planned for this, but you have to ask for it if you want me to do it. So let me know if you want to read a sequel, and i hope you enjoyed this story. -DL

Sano walked hesitantly through the gates of the dojo an hour later. He saw Kenshin playing in the forecourt with the two little girls Ayame and Suzume. Kaoru was making Yahiko scrub the porch, which the boy was doing mutinously. He saw no sign of Saitoh, which relieved him. Kenshin turned and caught sight of his tall friend. “Sano!” he cried in welcome, beaming. “It’s good to see you, so it is!”

The two little girls cried out gleefully and scurried over to attach themselves to the martial artist like limpets. Sano bent a little to scoop up Ayame so that he could carry her on his hip, while he patted Suzume on top of her head. She hugged his hip and grinned up at him. Kaoru smiled to see him. Only Yahiko was unimpressed by his appearance. “Thought we’d gotten rid of you for good, chicken head,” he sneered, stopping in his scrubbing.

Kaoru whacked him on the back of the head, causing him to yelp and glare up at her. “Hey! What’d you do that for, you ugly troll?”

She whacked him again for insulting her, which resulted in the two of them getting into a slanging match. Kenshin shook his head at the two of them, and walked over to where Sano stood with the little girls. “Saitoh said that you’d be turning up soon, so he did,” Kenshin remarked happily.

Sano didn’t ask where the Wolf was, not wanting to seem too interested in the ex-Shinsen Gumi. “Well, I figured that you guys couldn’t get along without me,” he said with an imitation of his usual cheeky smile.

Kenshin’s eyes scrunched up humorously. “Hai. That is so, Sano. Will you be staying for dinner?” he asked hopefully.

“What are you having?”

“I’m making rice balls, fried fish and pickled vegetables,” the red-headed swordsman said cheerfully.

“Sounds good,” Sano replied. It did, and he decided that he could put up with being around Saitoh at dinner for a meal like that.

“Come and play with us, Sano!” urged Suzume.

“Okay,” Sano strolled over and joined Kenshin in throwing around the painted wooden ball with the girls. He was feeling relaxed and happy when Saitoh came briskly through the gates with his usual strong stride.

Sano felt himself tense up when he saw Saitoh. Instantly, an image of what had happened in the bath ran through his head. He felt a blush rising up in his brown cheeks, and he also felt himself getting hard. Dammit! If just seeing Saitoh was going to cause this kind of reaction in him, what the hell was he supposed to do? He hoped fervently that no one became aware of his embarrassing condition, and he turned away a bit from Kenshin’s sharp violet eyes. The former Battousai noticed his movement, and he saw that Saitoh was the cause of it. He looked from Sano’s tall form to Saitoh, who was heading across the courtyard towards them. Truly his young friend was disturbed by Saitoh. He decided to have a talk with Sano as soon as he could.

“So, you finally decided to put in an appearance, eh, cockerel?” Saitoh remarked casually. Sano mumbled something under his breath that might have been an insult. Saitoh only smiled wickedly.

Sano was surprised when Saitoh spoke to the two little girls next. “I think,” he said in a musing tone of voice, “That I might just have something on me somewhere meant just for two little ones. Now where could it be?” he patted the front of his kimono absent-mindedly.

Ayame and Suzume dashed fearlessly up to the swordsman. “What is it? What is it?” they asked gleefully, jumping up and down.

Saitoh shook his head. “Now I just don’t know where I put it…ahh,” he produced a small bag from inside of his kimono. “Here it is.” He held it tantalizingly just out of reach of the two small girls. They began to beg clamorously. ‘Now, now,” he said mock-chidingly. “Perhaps you should remember your manners?”

Instantly the girls stopped jumping and begging and instead both gave extremely cute little bows as they said “Please, Saitoh-san, may we have it?” At which the Wolf laughed and gravely handed Suzume the bag. There were squeals from the two as they discovered the honey-sweetened sesame candy inside. “Arigatou!” they yelled as they dashed away to share their haul with Ken-ni and Sano.

Sano was amazed to see this side of Saitoh. He’d seen the deadly killer, the charming, wicked seducer, the man stricken with grief for his wife. But this playful person who had befriended the two little girls was a new facet of Saitoh’s personality. Saitoh caught him staring, and winked at him. Sano looked hurriedly away, feeling his stomach tighten. He accepted one of the pieces of candy from Ayame, crunching it between his teeth. Yahiko abandoned his scrub brush entirely and came over to beg a piece of candy from the girls, who made him grovel abjectly. Kenshin was eating his own piece meditatively, still surreptitiously watching Sano out of the corner of his eye.

Saitoh went into the dojo for his afternoon practice. Kenshin went with him, but Sano didn’t go to watch the two men spar. He wandered over to sit on the porch in the shade, hearing the soft clash of blades from within the dojo. Kaoru had gone to watch the match, as had Yahiko. The little girls had wandered away to play a game somewhere around the side of the dojo. He was happy to be alone, although not with his thoughts. He frowned as he drew his knees up and rested his head atop them. His reaction to Saitoh was becoming stronger, not abating. It didn’t help that the evil bastard did things like what he’d done to him in the bath. A shiver went through him. If Saitoh could pull such a strong reaction from him with only his foot, what would it be like if they actually had sex? He felt almost breathless at the thought, and his body tightened traitorously.

Sano could admit to himself, in the privacy of his own mind, that he wanted what Saitoh was offering. Looking back, he could see that Saitoh was right - there had always been a current of sexual tension between them. He had mistaken it for fascination with Saitoh’s fighting abilities. While it was true that he admired Saitoh’s skills, Kenshin was at least as good a swordsman (and had beaten Sano not once but twice in fights) but he’d never reacted to Kenshin that way. He’d never wanted to please Kenshin, to make him admire him, to gain his notice. It wasn’t just that Saitoh had bested him so easily. He could see that now, but the knowledge didn’t make him particularly happy.

Saitoh had said that nothing need happen between them, that it was all up to Sano. Sano believed him. But in his heart of hearts he wished that Saitoh would just take him – that way, he wouldn’t need to make a choice. If Saitoh had just claimed him that night in the kitchen, he doubted that he’d be this miserable. Leaving it up to him to decide somehow seemed like a cruelty. But then, Saitoh could be devilishly cruel when he wanted to be. It was just part of his nature. Sano sighed as he rubbed his cheek against his knees.

“Stop brooding, cockerel, your head isn’t made for such deep thoughts,” Saitoh’s voice said over his head. The ex-Shinsen Gumi chuckled as he strolled by, headed for his room. “Your brain is going to explode if you keep thinking that hard,” he teased.

Sano glared after his retreating back. “Bastard,” he muttered.

“Sano? Are you okay?” Kenshin’s soft voice asked. Sano looked up into his friend’s worried violet eyes.

“Not really,” Sano said moodily. He found that he wanted someone to talk about all this with, and Kenshin had always been a good listener and excellent dispenser of advice. Sano wasn’t sure that he could help with this, but it would be good just to air his problem to a friendly ear.

Kenshin sank down cross legged on the porch and studied Sano’s face. “Care to talk about it?” he asked.

Sano groaned. “That Saitoh is driving me crazy,” he said.

“In what way?” Kenshin asked, although he already knew.

Sano hesitated. Then he sighed and spilled his guts. “Saitoh kissed me the other night. That’s why I stopped coming around. It just freaked me out – and also…” He ran his hand distractedly through his spiky hair. “I kinda…liked it,” he admitted unhappily.

Kenshin studied his face with a sympathetic look on his own. “And you haven’t ever felt desire for another man, so you were scared and upset,” he said gently.

Sano nodded emphatically. “I mean, one second he’s just a guy friend, and the next he’s sticking his tongue down my throat! How weird is that?!”

“Friendship can sometimes be the basis for a deeper relationship,” Kenshin said suddenly. 

Sano glanced up in surprise at the red-haired swordsman’s contemplative face. “So you think it's okay that he kissed me?” he asked, furrowing his brows.

Kenshin’s smile was gentle. “It is if you enjoyed it,” he pointed out. “There’s nothing wrong with two men loving one another. If you had been disgusted or angered, that would be a different story. But I take it that was not the case?”

“No,” Sano admitted on a ghost of a breath. “It took me by surprise, that’s sure; but I can’t say that it disgusted me. In fact…” he trailed off again as a blush rose in his cheeks.

“Perhaps you liked it more than you’d like to admit to yourself?” Kenshin’s voice was compassionate.

Sano rubbed at his forehead distractedly. “I don’t know what to do, Kenshin! I never would have thought for one moment that I’d be attracted to another guy, especially not Saitoh. I would never have tagged him as someone who likes other guys. And ever since he kissed me, I’ve wanted to…do more. He says that we won’t have sex unless I give him the go ahead. I don’t know that I can, no matter what I want. It’s just too embarrassing and humiliating, having to admit to him that I want to have sex with him. I mean it's SAITOH, for the Gods sake! He’d never let me hear the end of it, if I gave in!”

Kenshin shook his head. “Is that the only real obstacle you foresee? Or is there another, deeper reason?”

Sano scratched his head as he considered this. “I’d like to say that I’m put off by the whole concept,” he said mournfully. “But I can’t. Sometimes when I just look at him I…” he turned an even deeper red, and couldn’t continue. But Kenshin understood.

“So – you are greatly attracted to him, and he to you. You’re not put off or disgusted by the thought of being with another man. The only real thing holding you back is your dislike of the thought of Saitoh crowing over your surrender and holding it over you. Is that the gist of it?” Kenshin’s voice was carefully non-judgemental.

Sano frowned. Was that it? Was that the only thing keeping him from just throwing himself on Saitoh and getting down and dirty with him? That seemed kind of a stupid reason, really. Sure, Saitoh might amuse himself by laughing at his capitulation. But then again, he might not. Saitoh was a far more complex person than Sano had ever given him credit for. He had seen facets of his nature in the last month that had confounded and astonished him. He was even more deeply drawn to Saitoh now than he had been before. The only way to know how he would react was to give in. Was he ready for that? He remembered how Saitoh had called him a coward earlier. Was he a coward? Was that the real reason that he was fighting his attraction to Saitoh?

No, Goddammit. He was many things, but he wasn’t a coward. He’d never run away from a fight in his life, even when it would have been smart or prudent to do so. So he wouldn’t run away from this one, either. If he decided that Saitoh was what he wanted, then by the Gods he’d grab on to what he wanted with both hands. Maybe he could even turn the tables on the Wolf and take him by surprise. A feeling of reckless courage welled up in him, and Sano smiled the first real smile since the incident in the kitchen.

“Thanks, Kenshin,” he said to his friend. 

The red-head smiled to see the gleam in Sano’s brown eyes. The return of his boisterous, lively, courageous young friend made Kenshin happy. He suspected that Saitoh Hajime had a surprise coming, and very soon. “You’re welcome, so you are,” he replied simply, getting to his feet. “I have to start dinner, so I do,” he said cheerfully. He pattered away lightly, leaving Sano on the porch. The tall martial artist watched his friend’s departure, and decided that he was going to take advantage of his new found determination before it deserted him entirely.

He unfolded himself and got to his feet. He strode off towards Saitoh’s room, trying to ignore the butterflies churning in his stomach. They got worse as he approached Saitoh’s quarters, and his insides were frankly tying themselves in knots when he arrived at Saitoh’s open door. The Wolf was sitting cross-legged on his tatami mat, apparently meditating.

“Saitoh,” Sano said, not wanting to lose his momentum. Those evil eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice, proving that if Saitoh had been meditating it had only been lightly.

“Cockerel,” Saitoh’s voice was low and almost caressing. “What can I do for you?”

Sano’s tongue was trying to cleave to the roof of his mouth. “You said that we wouldn’t have sex until I gave the okay,” he began, even as his hands tightened into nervous fists at his sides.

“Hai” Saitoh rolled the word off of his tongue. “I did. What about it?” he cocked his head, a small wicked smile ghosting over his mouth.

Sano took a deep breath. “I…I’ve come to tell you that I’m giving the o.k. right now” he blurted out in a rush. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he found himself breathing heavy as though he’d just run a long distance.

Saitoh’s eyes narrowed, gleaming under his lowered lids. “So. You’re saying that you want to have sex with me, my cockerel?” he clarified.

“Yes,” Sano could feel a shiver run down his spine at the light that flared in Saitoh’s magnetic eyes.

“I see,” Saitoh chuckled, a deep sexy sound. “Well, then, that’s settled. Take your clothes off, cockerel.”

Sano’s mouth dropped open. “What? Here, now?” he said in disbelief.

“What better time? Everyone else is off doing their chores, and I’ve got nothing better to do. Have you?”

Sano wished desperately that he could think of something, anything that he could be doing right now. Panic spurted through his brain, but his mind stubbornly remained blank. “I thought so,” Saitoh said in amusement. “So get undressed, cockerel.”

Sano found that his fingers seemed to be moving of their own volition. He reached up to push off his jacket, all the while aware of Saitoh’s hungry eyes watching him. He fumbled with the bandages at his waist, but he finally removed them. He took a deep breath and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his pants, pushing them down off of his hips in a single jerky move. His cock was already erect, and he felt tremors of excitement running through himself.

He just stood there after he’d removed his clothes, uncertain of what to do. If Saitoh had been a girl, he would have been on firmer ground. But as it was, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to take charge or not. He looked rather desperately at Saitoh, who laughed at the expression on his face. “Don’t look at me like you’re waiting for your execution, cockerel,” he chided laughingly. “I assure you that it won’t be as bad as all that,” he reached down to untie his obi in a leisurely fashion, laying the length of cloth aside. Still meeting Sano’s eyes, he removed his kimono to reveal the powerful chest that he’d seen earlier. The dark burn scar seemed an abomination on that strong expanse of flesh. Then he stood up slowly, and pushed the gray hakima down his legs. Sano caught his breath at the sight of his erection. Saitoh reached down and took himself in hand, stroking his own cock slowly.

“Come here,” he commanded, putting out his free hand to Sano. The martial artist somehow made his legs work, and walked forward. When he was in range, Saitoh reached up to curl his hand around the back of Sano’s neck just as he’d done in the kitchen. He pulled him in for another of those hard, lusty kisses that always seemed to overwhelm Sano completely. He opened his mouth to allow Saitoh’s tongue access, and moaned as it lazily invaded him. It stroked over his tongue and coaxed it out to play.

How long they kissed, Sano didn’t know. But when Saitoh finally released him, he panted for breath and his legs were threatening to turn to jelly. Saitoh’s grin was evil as he reached out a hand to tweak one of the dark brown nipples on Sano’s powerful chest. The brown haired fighter gasped, the bud instantly hardened into a peak. “Lay down,” Saitoh directed him, pointing down to his tatami mat. Sano did as he was told tamely, crying out as Saitoh descended on top of him. The Wolf ground his erection against Sano’s even as he kissed him again, digging his hands into the spiky brown hair to hold his head in place.

Saitoh abandoned Sano’s mouth and began to lick his way down his neck. He bit at the juncture of Sano's shoulder and neck, making the tall marital artist cry out. He licked at the forming bruise in satisfaction, as Sano clutched at his shoulders with his hands.

“Saitoh,” he moaned as the Wolf’s tongue ran down his chest and closed over one of his nipples. His moan turned into a gasp as Saitoh began to suck strongly on his nipple, and his back arched off the mat. His hands rose to grip at Saitoh’s black hair, pulling loose the leather thong holding in up. The raven hair fell forward in a glossy curtain on either side of his face and tickled the bare skin of Sano’s chest as Saitoh licked at the budded nipple and then gently bit it.

Saitoh rolled his eyes up to look at Sano’s face as he began to move backward, running his tongue down Sano’s chest and abdomen in a wet trail. The muscles in his stomach heaved as Saitoh’s tongue went south. It dipped into his belly button, causing him to cry out. A definite evil smirk blossomed on Saitoh’s mouth, but Sano was already too far gone to care or protest. Especially when the black head went even lower and a warm wet mouth closed over Sano’s cock. He moaned and arched his back as that wicked tongue licked and swirled over his penis, and his fingers tightened painfully in the raven tresses. Saitoh sucked skillfully on the cockerel’s erection, enjoying the sounds he drew from Sano’s mouth as he pleasured him. One of his hands stroked the marital artist’s balls in time with his ministrations on his cock, as he pulled an intense orgasm out of Sano. He came with a loud cry, and Saitoh swallowed his semen as Sano shuddered under him.

Saitoh raised his head to look down at Sano’s flushed face. His eyes were closed and his mouth hung open as he panted for breath. An evil light flickered through the amber eyes, and he dipped his head and began to lick the sweat off of Sano’s chest. The martial artist moaned in protest as that wicked tongue slid over his sensitized skin, but the Wolf ignored him. His hard calloused swordsman’s hands began to run over deep brown skin, caressing Sano’s chest, stomach, and thighs. Determinedly the ex-Shinsen Gumi set out to arouse him again, biting and licking his way over that hard muscular chest even as his hands continued to stroke his skin.

Sano felt his cock twitch and begin to come erect again. His dazed mind, swamped with pleasure, couldn’t hold a coherent thought to save himself. All that he knew were Saitoh’s skilled hands and wicked mouth, as his body ratcheted up to an even higher level of arousal. His moans were soft and supplicating as Saitoh’s strong hands turned him over on the mat. That insouciant tongue began to kiss its way down his back, occasionally leaving love bites on the deep brown skin. He arched his back into each bite, his head hanging as he panted for breath.

He felt Saitoh reach his buttocks. Those hard hands parted his cheeks, and then he nearly screamed in shock and pleasure as he felt Saitoh run his tongue between them and lick at the soft wrinkled skin of his anus. Over and over again the Wolf performed this intimate caress, as Sano writhed and screamed under him. Strong fingers clutched at the mat desperately as Saitoh thrust his tongue inside of him and began to fuck him with it deeply. Sano felt like his brain was going to explode. As he felt that wicked tongue give a last long lick at his asshole, he shuddered.

He was urged to his hands and knees, his limbs trembling. He felt Saitoh move away for a moment, and then a finger moistened with something cool and wet burrowed into him. Cries were torn from his throat as that finger pushed deeper and deeper, and just as he thought that it couldn’t feel any better the tip struck something inside of him that made an explosion go off behind his eyes. His head went back as he screamed in pleasure. Over and over again that fingertip prodded that spot inside of him, and he wasn’t even aware when another finger joined the first in stretching him. Even when yet a third finger wormed its way inside of him, all he felt was a slight sting.

The fingers withdrew, and he whimpered in disappointment. He felt something slick and much thicker than those intruding digits begin to push at the entrance to his body, and he groaned and hunched his shoulders as the head of Saitoh’s erection slid inside of him. He grimaced, but he’d always had a high tolerance for pain. Slowly but relentlessly Saitoh buried his cock in Sano’s tight heat, his teeth bared at the feel of the muscles closing around him. He stopped when he was fully seated, putting a hand on the lower back in front of him. He stroked the brown skin soothingly, listening to the cockerel’s swift panting breaths as he adjusted to the feel of Saitoh buried deep within him.

At last Sano pushed backward with his hips, seeking something. Saitoh took this as a sign that he was ready, and he slid out of him a tiny bit before he thrust back in slowly. Sano groaned as Saitoh began to stroke in and out of him, his hands gripping Sano’s hips in a hard grip. Faster, deeper the Wolf thrust into the arched body before him, his amber eyes narrowed as soft groans slid from his throat. Gods the cockerel felt good! Those clinging muscles seemed to be sucking at his cock as he pushed into Sano over and over. He knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

He angled his thrusts, seeking to hit Sano’s prostate. He knew he’d succeeded when the long body under him convulsed and a loud cry was torn from his throat. His hips slapped against Sano’s ass as he let go of one of his hips to slide a hand under his belly and grab his cock. He stroked once, twice, three times, as he gave a few last hard thrusts. Sano came hard, all of his muscles seizing as semen spurted out over Saitoh’s hand and the tatami mat. The Wolf growled low in his throat as he gave one last thrust and came himself, his orgasm pulled from him by the muscles convulsing around his cock.

Sano slumped forward, feeling half dead. All of his muscles felt pulped. He could feel Saitoh’s chest against his back, and hear his deep panting breaths. After a moment, Saitoh roused enough to pull out of him and slide to the side. Strong hands pulled Sano’s back up against a hard chest, and he felt the Wolf’s breath against his skin as he buried his nose in the spiky brown hair. “So what do you think, cockerel?” the deep voice purred in his ear. “Do you think that you could get to like being with a man?” there was lazy, satisfied amusement in his voice.

“I…think I might be able to get used to it,” Sano conceded huskily. A deep chuckle stirred the hairs near his ear, and then Saitoh’s tongue licked the tender skin behind it.

“My cockerel,” he said in satisfaction, nuzzling Sano’s hair with his nose. Sano closed his eyes and reached up to cover one of Saitoh’s hands with his own.

“That’s right,” he murmured in agreement.

 

The End


End file.
